3.2 Genetic Diversity

Conservation Biology

Dr. Alicia M. Rich

Wed Sep 3, 2025

Introduction

Genetic diversity: The genetic variation within species, both among individuals within single populations and among geographically distinct populations
Species diversity: The variety of species that comprise a biological community—the collection of species that occupy and interact in a particular location
Community and ecosystem diversity: The different biological communities and their associated ecosystems that comprise whole landscapes

Population: A group of individual organisms of the same species living within a given (or particular) geographical area at the same time.

How do we define the boundary of that geographical area?

Usually defined to be of a size in which individuals are likely to find mates and reproduce
Species that are geographically widespread are often subdivided into distinct breeding groups that live in different geographical areas.
These geographically separated groups are sometimes referred to as different populations of the same species or as subpopulations of the species.

Individuals all have the same set of homologous chromosomes.

The ____ on those chromosomes are represented by different ____.

Individuals all have the same set of homologous chromosomes.

The genes on those chromosomes are represented by different alleles.

____ are different forms of the same ____.

Alleles are different forms of the same gene.

We could also describe them as sequences of DNA that are found on the same gene ______.

Alleles are different forms of the same gene.

We could also describe them as sequences of DNA that are found on the same gene locus.

For the F2 Generation:

Polymorphic Locus: A gene for which more than one allele exists in the population
Polymorphism: the fraction of gene loci in which alternative alleles of a gene occur